[At the age of three, your parents encountered an attack from the Star Demon Clan in the Chaotic Immortal Star River. Your mother sacrificed herself, and your father, heavily wounded, fled with you into a space-time vortex.]
[At the age of four, despite his severe injuries, your father continued to take you toward Spirit Mountain. On the path of the Grand Dao, he was ambushed by a powerful cultivator. He perished, his Dao dissipated, and you were taken away by this powerful cultivator into a secluded minor world. This cultivator accepted you as a disciple and began teaching you the ways of cultivation.]
So this is the so-called misfortune?
Barely any time had passed, and his parents were already gone…
Gu An felt that something wasn't right. Why did every start of his lifespan reincarnation have to be so tragic?
Was the Heavenly Dao deliberately targeting him?
[At the age of six, you successfully established your foundation and learned that your master's name was Ancestor Xuan E. Blind since childhood, you never knew that your father was killed by Ancestor Xuan E himself. Instead, you were deeply grateful to him for saving and raising you.]
[At the age of twelve, with the help of Ancestor Xuan E, you formed a Golden Core. Using his own mystical power, Ancestor Xuan E condensed a pair of eyes for you, allowing you to regain your sight. Your gratitude toward your master reached another level.]
[At the age of sixteen, Ancestor Xuan E summoned you and presented you with two paths of cultivation. The first was the Emperor's Path of the Grand Dao, pursuing the destiny of an emperor and achieving the status of a Dao Sovereign. The second was the Immortal Path of Longevity, seeking eternal life and coexisting with the Heavenly Dao. You hesitated. How do you choose?]
So soon, he had to make a decision?
The moment he saw the phrase "coexisting with the Heavenly Dao," Gu An instinctively rejected it.
After everything he had been through, he had no fondness for the Heavenly Dao. Relying on it for cultivation was out of the question.
[You chose the Emperor's Path of the Grand Dao. Ancestor Xuan E revealed a pleased smile and began teaching you the profound arts of the Grand Dao.]
[At the age of eighteen, you encountered a cultivation deviation while training. Ancestor Xuan E examined your body, his expression changing drastically. Forced to explain your childhood experiences, you recounted your past. Ancestor Xuan E decided to take you to Spirit Mountain for your parents' sake.]
[At the age of nineteen, Ancestor Xuan E brought you to Spirit Mountain. You entered the Great Thunderclap Temple and met the myriad Buddhas. Ancestor Xuan E pleaded with the Heavenly Buddha to save you. The Heavenly Buddha declared that to rid yourself of the misfortune, you would need to chant scriptures and practice Buddhism for many years. To do so, you must first formally join Spirit Mountain. Ancestor Xuan E looked at you and left the choice in your hands. Do you choose to join Spirit Mountain?]
Yes!
What a joke—there were only two years left until death! Gu An couldn't afford to be picky. Survival came first.
Moreover, Ancestor Xuan E was clearly not a good person, whereas Spirit Mountain at least had no enmity with Yongsheng.
[You chose to join Spirit Mountain. The Heavenly Buddha personally accepted you as his disciple, preserving your name as Yongsheng, hoping that the ill-fated you could one day attain true eternal life. After leaving you with a few final words, Ancestor Xuan E departed. You watched his departing figure, feeling reluctant.]
[At the age of twenty, your misfortune erupted. Fortunately, with the assistance of the Heavenly Buddha, it was temporarily suppressed. Under his guidance, you were brought before the Bodhi Sacred Tree, where he taught you Buddhist mantras and instructed you to cultivate beneath the tree.]
[At the age of twenty-three, your cultivation progressed, and you gained a personal understanding of the Buddhist path.]
The subsequent notifications were all about cultivation.
Seeing that the Heavenly Buddha had no intention of scheming against Yongsheng, Gu An developed a favorable impression of Spirit Mountain.
Stay put. Absolutely do not venture out on any training journeys!
That was Gu An's primary thought.
For him, the fortunes obtained by his reincarnation selves were not the most crucial. What truly mattered was the comprehension of the Grand Dao gained through these reincarnations. The higher his cultivation realm, the deeper his insights into the Dao.
Since Yongsheng had joined Spirit Mountain, he wouldn't lack resources for cultivation. As long as he cultivated diligently, he would undoubtedly reach great heights.
The notifications progressed rapidly. By the time Yongsheng reached three hundred years old, he had successfully undergone Nirvana. Throughout this period, he repeatedly suffered from the backlash of his misfortune, but each time, the Heavenly Buddha intervened.
Because he remained under the Bodhi Sacred Tree for training, Yongsheng never encountered any significant decisions, leaving Gu An with little to do but watch.
Time in the reincarnation world passed swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, Yongsheng reached nine thousand years old.
[At the age of nine thousand, you gained profound enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Sacred Tree and comprehended the Buddhist Dao. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged toward you, triggering celestial phenomena. This attracted the attention of the Heavenly Buddha and the other Buddhas. You successfully forged the Bodhi Golden Body, and your talent astounded all of Spirit Mountain.]
Gu An believed that Spirit Mountain must have hidden a Supreme Purity Golden Immortal. Such a powerful force was still astonished by the Bodhi Golden Body, which meant this divine body was anything but simple.
[At the age of 9,100, while meditating beneath the Bodhi Sacred Tree, Black Xuan Emperor suddenly attacked. Just as he was about to touch you, the Heavenly Buddha appeared and annihilated him. You asked about Black Xuan Emperor's origins, but after divination, the Heavenly Buddha said it was beyond his comprehension and then left. You always felt that Black Xuan Emperor had some deep connection to you, prompting you to begin comprehending the Dao of Karma.]
[At the age of 9,234, you stepped into the Wandering Immortal Realm. After breaking through, you felt a strange connection to the Immortal Emperor Eyes. You could trace them. Remembering your childhood, had it not been for the loss of your Immortal Emperor Eyes and the misfortune cast upon you, your parents wouldn't have died. You sought out the Heavenly Buddha, expressing your desire for revenge, but he forbade it, instructing you to reach the Dao Fruit Realm before leaving Spirit Mountain.]
Seeing the Heavenly Buddha stopping Yongsheng, Gu An let out a sigh of relief.
A mere Wandering Immortal daring to seek revenge?
The following notifications were still focused on various aspects of cultivation.
Sitting in front of the great cauldron, Shen Zhen noticed that Gu An wasn't reading but was lost in thought. She couldn't help but ask, "Gu An, did you just break through?"
Gu An glanced at her and replied, "Do you think my current realm is something that can be broken through casually? I just gained a new insight into the Grand Dao."
Even toward those close to him, Gu An kept some things hidden. This was a necessary white lie. The path of cultivation was full of strange techniques; even if someone had no ill intent, they could unintentionally reveal information about him.
Shen Zhen asked, "Just now, when I was observing the scene inside the cauldron, I saw a golden Buddha enduring flames of refinement. What kind of omen do you think this is?"
Golden Buddha?
A trace of curiosity rose in Gu An's heart. His reincarnated self had just cultivated the Bodhi Golden Body, and now Shen Zhen was seeing a golden Buddha. This was clearly connected.
"Keep watching. Once you can no longer see it, describe it to me in detail." Gu An instructed.
Shen Zhen nodded and turned her attention back to the cauldron.
Gu An continued monitoring the reincarnation notifications.
[At the age of 57,046, you successfully transcended your tribulation and ascended to the Divine Thought True Immortal Realm.]
[At the age of 57,389, you mastered the Grand Heavenly Thunder Mantra. The Heavenly Buddha was deeply gratified and bestowed upon you Spirit Mountain's treasure—the Red Dust Prayer Beads.]
…
[At the age of 68,507, you successfully transcended another tribulation and reached the Free Immortal Realm. You awakened the divine abilities of the Immortal Emperor Eyes and became eager to reclaim them.]
[At the age of 89,002, you once again transcended your tribulation and entered the Dao Repository Free Immortal Realm. You began consolidating your cultivation.]
[At the age of 90,000, the Heavenly Buddha permitted you to leave Spirit Mountain. Before parting, he assigned you a task—to return to Ethereal Immortal Court and take in a disciple. He assured you that Ethereal Immortal Court would certainly agree. With doubts in your heart, you left Spirit Mountain.]
[At the age of 90,134, you encountered a group of cultivators ascending toward Yellow Heaven. They were entangled with malevolent spirits. You intervened to help, and upon learning that your destination aligned with theirs, they decided to travel with you.]
Seeing people joining him, Gu An immediately knew things were about to go wrong.
From then on, frequent troubles arose. However, Gu An never encountered any choices, likely because these troubles were not truly a threat to Yongsheng.
[At the age of 90,152, you and your group ventured into a cosmic domain. Suddenly, this region erupted with Grand Dao True Flames, engulfing you all from every direction. Unable to escape the universe, you could only use your own power to resist. The flames grew increasingly fierce, continuously eradicating members of your group. You used the Red Dust Prayer Beads to protect those still alive, while you endured the fire with your Bodhi Golden Body.]
[At the age of 90,153, your Red Dust Prayer Beads were incinerated, and all those under their protection perished. You alone relied on your Bodhi Golden Body to persist. Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the depths of darkness. He introduced himself as Xuan Mo Emperor. From him, you sensed the presence of the Immortal Emperor Eyes. Realizing he was the one who had stolen your eyes, you recalled your parents' tragic deaths. Enraged, you struck without hesitation.]
[Due to the immense disparity in power, you were no match for Xuan Mo Emperor. Just as he was about to annihilate you, a golden hand shattered the universe and struck him back. You turned to look and recognized it as your master, the Heavenly Buddha's hand. No matter how you called out to the Heavenly Buddha, he did not respond. With no other choice, you fled from the shattered cosmos.]